Turner Sports President Harvey Schiller has been in
discussions about how to make the Goodwill Games financially
viable. Although the games have been a "perennially money-
losing" event, organizers are committed to holding the games and
are exploring a "winter edition" of the multi-sport contest.
Schiller is expected to make an announcement on Friday regarding
format changes, and "among the suggestions are cutting back the
number of sports, trimming the 16-day schedule or including off
days in that time period" (Joe Drape, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 1/8).

U.S. District Court Judge Hubert Will ruled on Friday that
the NBA's efforts to force the Bulls off Chicago superstation WGN
restrained trade in violation of antitrust laws. The ruling will
allow telecasts of at least 30 games on WGN. The league had been
trying to stop the Bulls from negotiating with WGN because the
superstation reached 37% of the nation's households outside
Chicago. WGN had wanted to show up to 41 games, but the NBA said
WGN's "saturation" hurt the league and other "teams by reducing
revenues from national, regional, and local telecasts." But
Judge Will said the "NBA and the teams have never been more
successful." The decision means millions for both the Bulls and
the Tribune-owned WGN and will "likely protect superstations from
similar attacks by other sports leagues, especially baseball."
Judge Will did order the Bulls and WGN to pay the league a
"reasonable" negotiated fee to show each game (Matt O'Connor,
CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/7). NBA Commissioner David Stern said the
league would appeal the ruling, and put a "positive spin" on the
decision by adding: "We wanted a fee. They didn't. ... What is
important is these superstation telecasts are a league right, or
the court wouldn't have upheld our right to a fee." Judge Will
said evidence "revealed that superstation coverage of the Bulls
and Hawks may actually have helped to promote" public interest in
the league (Richard Sandomir, N.Y. TIMES, 1/7).

This week's BARRON'S includes an extensive piece on "The
Race for Smart TV: Video-on-Demand Appears Fast Approaching and
Software Companies Are Scrambling to Cash In" (Maggie Mahar,
BARRON'S, 1/9 issue)....N.Y. POST's Phil Mushnick writes on John
Madden's failure to criticize Emmitt Smith for taking off his
helmet for the TV cameras. "Either Madden is operating off a
double standard for stars or he came to the realization that the
video game carrying his name features computerized players who
rip off their helmets after a good play." Mushnick also took Fox
to task on their "McDonald's Game Breaks," adding they "are
nothing more than annoying, in-game commercials" (N.Y. POST,
1/9)....The Lifetime Channel made its "biggest venture into
sports" last night with a one hour documentary on the all-female
America3 America's Cup team. The channel has spent more than
$1M in sponsorship money for America3 and production costs for
two specials on women in sports (PHILA. INQUIRER, 1/7)....Seals
Communication has signed a new agreement with ESPN to continue
production of motorcycle sports for the cable channel. The new
agreement will allow Seals to handle the advertising for ESPN's
motorcycling program, "which is highly unusual" (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 1/8)....SI airs a Valentine's Day swimsuit preview
show on NBC (EXTRA, 1/6).